I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hair-growing agent.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Hair-growing agents containing various agents exhibiting pharmaceutical properties are known. Such pharmaceutical agents may include, for example, a vitamin such as vitamin E, an amino acid such as serine or methionine, a vasodilator such as an acetylcholine derivative, an anti-inflammatory agent such as lithospermum root extract, a female sex hormone such as estradiol, a skin function stimulant such as cepharanthine, a melanine synthesis catalyst such as copper pantothenate, a keratolytic such as salicylic acid, or the like. These agents may assist in the prevention and cure of alopecia.
There are known cases where an aliphatic carboxylic acid or a derivative thereof such as natural vegetable oil, e.g., olive oil and castor oil, or stearic acid is contained in a hair cosmetic such as a hair tonic or the like to improve performance of the product. Aliphatic carboxylic acids constituting various naturally occurring lipids, such as vegetable oils and animal oils, are in almost all cases aliphatic carboxylic acids having an even number of carbon atoms, whether they are saturated aliphatic carboxylic acids such as stearic acid and palmitic acid or unsaturated aliphatic carboxylic acids such as oleic acid and linoleic acid. There are no known cases where an aliphatic carboxylic acid having an odd number of carbon atoms or a derivative thereof is used in a hair cosmetic.
Conventional hair-growing agents are claimed to be effective in preventing or improving dandruff, itchiness and hair loss as well as in accelerating hair generation and growth. However, it seems that a satisfactory effect has not yet been obtained.